1.

Role of Fungi in Medicine:

Some fungi produce substances which help to cure diseases caused by the pathogenic microorganisms.
These substances are called the antibiotics.

The term antibiotic, therefore, denotes an organic substance, produced by a microorganism, which
inhibits the growth of certain other microorganisms. The most important antibiotics are produced by the
moulds, actinomycetes or bacteria.

He extracted the great antibiotic drug Penicillin from Penicillium notatum. It was the first antibiotic to be
widely used. Penicillin is an organic substance lethal to microbes. It is far more effective than ordinary
drugs and germicides.

2. Role of Fungi in Industry:

The industrial uses of fungi are many and varied. In fact the fungi form the basis of many important
industries. There are a number of industrial processes in which the biochemical activities of certain fungi
are harnessed to good account.

(i) Alcoholic fermentation:

It is the basis of two important industries in India or rather all over the world. These are brewing and
baking. Both are dependent on the fact that the fermentation of sugar solutions by yeasts produces
ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.

In brewing or wine making industry alcohol is the important product. The other by-product which is
carbon dioxide was formerly allowed to escape as a useless thing.

Now carbon dioxide is also considered a valuable by-product. It is collected, solidified and sold as “dry
ice”. In the baking or bread- making industry CO2 is the useful product.

It serves two purposes:

(i) Causes the dough to rise.

(ii) Makes the bread light.

The other by-product, which is alcohol, is incidental. The yeasts secrete the enzyme complex called
zymase which brings about conversion of sugar into alcohol. Many excellent yeast strains are now
available.

The yeasts lack diastase. So they cannot break starch into sugar. There are a number of fungi popularly
known as the moulds. They secrete a whole range of enzymes and thus bring about fermentation of
complex carbohydrates.

In producing industrial alcohol moulds are employed as starters to bring about scarification of the
starch. At the second stage yeast is employed to act on the sugar.
Although mould can complete the conversion to sugar but the yield is better if yeast is employed for the
second stage. The moulds commonly used for purpose of scarification are Mucor racemosus.

M, rouxii and some species of Rhizopus. Aspergillus flavus is used in the production of African native
beer.

(ii) Enzyme preparations:

Takamine on the basis of his intensive study of the enzymes produced by Aspergillus flavus-oryzae series
has introduced in the market a few products of high enzymic activity. These are Digestin, Polyzime, Taka
diastase, etc. They are used for dextrinization of starch and desiring of textiles.
Invertase is extracted from Saccharoymces cerevisiae. It has many industrial uses. It hydrolyses sucrose
to a mixture of glucose and fructose.

. (iii) Preparation of organic acids:

The important organic acids produced commercially as the result of the biochemical activities of moulds
are oxalic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, gallic acid, fumaric acid, etc.

Oxalic acid is the fermentation product of Aspergillus niger. Citric acid is made by mould fermentation.
Many species of Penicillium are used for the purpose. The acid is produced on a commercial scale and is
cheaper than the acid made from the citrus fruits.

The gluconic acid is prepared from sugars. The moulds chiefly employed for this purpose are some
species of Penicillium and Aspergillus.

Gallic acid is prepared on a commercial scale in Europe and America. The details of the method
employed, however, are not known. It may be a modification of Calmete’s process.
(iv) Gibberellins:

These are plant hormones produced by the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi which cause a disease of rice
accompanied by abnormal elongation. Gibberellin is used to accelerate growth of several horticultural
crops.

(v) Cheese Industry:

Certain fungi popularly known as the cheese moulds play an important role in the refining of cheese.
They give cheese a characteristic texture and flavour.

(vi) Manufacture of Proteins:

As a supplement to the normal diet, some fungi particularly the yeasts are employed to synthesize
proteins. The yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis) contain high percentage of protein of
great nutritive value.

They are grown with ammonia as the source of nitrogen and molasses as the source of carbon. The
manufactured product is called Food Yeast. It contains 15% protein and B group of vitamins.

(vii) Vitamins:

The yeasts, are the best source of vitamin B complex. A number of preparations of high potency have
been made from the dried yeast or yeast extracts and sold in the market.

A number of moulds and yeasts are utilised in the synthesis of Ergosterol which contains Vitamin D.
Riboflavin—another vitamin useful both in human and animal food—is obtained from a filamentous
yeast, Ashby gossypii.

(viii) A good many fungi synthesize fat from carbohydrates:

Endomyces vernalis, Penicillium javanicum and Oidium lactis have a high fat content. The
microbiological production of fat is, however, too costly for use.

(ix) Antibiotics:
Certain fungi form an important basis of fermentation of Cocaobeans. Mention must also be made here
of the use of Lichens in yielding certain dyes and reagents. An important substance is extracted from
Roccella lichen.